[ad_1] About 100 children who were abducted from a Catholic school in central Nigeria last month have been freed, authorities say.Niger state's police chief, Adamu Abdullahi Elleman, and Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, who is in charge of the school as the local leader of the Catholic community, both told the BBC that they had received confirmation of the students' release.They said the news had been confirmed by the president's national
[ad_1] Jeremy BowenInternational EditorBBCA year ago, the war that President Bashar al-Assad seemed to have won was turned upside down.A rebel force had broken out of Idlib, a Syrian province on the border with Turkey, and was storming towards Damascus. It was led by a man known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, and his militia group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Jolani was a nom-de-guerre, reflecting his family's roots in the Golan
[ad_1] Suranjana TewariAsia Business Correspondent, TokyoBBCScientists at Waseda University in Tokyo are developing caregiving robotsLast year, more than 18,000 older people living with dementia left their homes and wandered off in Japan. Almost 500 were later found dead.Police say such cases have doubled since 2012. Elderly people aged 65 and over now make up nearly 30% of Japan's population - the second-highest proportion in the world after Monaco, according to
[ad_1] Getty ImagesHongkongers are mourning the worst blaze the city has seen in more than 70 yearsHongkongers have voted in an election seen as a test of public sentiment following a deadly fire that angered some in the city. The government mounted a huge campaign to encourage residents to choose members of the Legislative Council (LegCo). All of the candidates have been vetted to ensure they are loyal to China.Voter
[ad_1] Russia has welcomed Donald Trump's new US National Security Strategy, calling it "largely consistent" with Moscow's vision. The 33-page document, unveiled by the US administration last week, suggests Europe is facing "civilisational erasure" and does not cast Russia as a threat to the US. Combatting foreign influence, ending mass migration, and rejecting the EU's perceived practice of "censorship" are mentioned as other priorities in the report. Several EU officials
[ad_1] Soldiers in the West African nation of Benin have announced on national TV that they have ousted President Patrice Talon and seized power.A message from the French embassy in Benin said gunfire had been reported near the residence of the president in the main city of Cotonou.The soldiers also announced a suspension of the constitution, the closure of all land borders as well as the country's airspace.But officials close
[ad_1] Russia continued its aerial attacks on Ukraine overnight, hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had a "very constructive" phone call with Donald Trump's negotiating team following three days of talks in Florida.The mayor of Kremenchuk, a major industrial hub in central Ukraine, said the city was repeatedly struck in a "massive" attack. No deaths have been confirmed so far.Meanwhile, Russia's defence ministry said it had shot down
[ad_1] At least 23 people have been killed in a fire at a popular nightclub in the coastal region of Goa, India, local officials say.The majority of victims are believed to be staff at the club in Arpora, North Goa, while tourists are also among the dead.Police believe a gas cylinder exploded in the club's kitchen causing the blaze to rip through the venue at midnight on Saturday, local time.Goa's
[ad_1] The US National Park Service (NPS) is removing Martin Luther King Jr Day and Juneteenth from its list of fee-free entrance days.The move is part of President Donald Trump's "modernisation" of the park service, which, beginning in 2026, also includes changing the parks' cost structure to favour American citizens over foreign visitors, following a July executive order from Trump.In addition to removing the two holidays that celebrate civil rights
[ad_1] Nardine SaadandHarry SekulichReutersRussia targeted a railway depot in the town of Fastiv outside KyivRussia has launched a major aerial bombardment against Ukrainian infrastructure targets as talks between the US and Ukraine in Florida are set to enter a third day.Overnight Russia launched 653 drones and 51 missiles, most of which were downed, authorities said. One strike hit a railway hub at the town of Fastiv outside Kyiv, destroying the
